The Duchess Brings Back DVF Zarita for Anna Freud Centre Gala Dinner!

The Cambridge family enjoyed a relaxing weekend in Chester and were spotted boarding a train for London on Sunday before George started another week of school yesterday and William and Kate prepared for a week of duties. A reader very kindly shared news William and Kate attended a charity lunch function at royal haunt Berry Bros. & Rudd earlier today (UPDATE: The Court Circular reflects it was for The Royal Foundation).

Tonight's event is the first of four public engagements for the Duchess this week and her first gala of the season.

Ahead of the gala, Kensington Palace said "Earlier this year Her Royal Highness, who is Patron of the AFNCCF, visited the centre's Early Years Parenting Unit to learn more about their work with families who have children under five years old. This visit marked the Duchess' continued desire to draw attention to child mental health issues and the importance that early intervention, and working with the whole family, can make to those in vulnerable situations." The Anna Freud Centre is one of the Heads Together charity partners.

The event celebrates the new £39 million Centre of Excellence currently under construction on Rodney Street in Islington. Service users and supporters of the Centre were invited to hear more about the new site which will, for the first time, bring under one roof the very best science, education and mental health support for children and families struggling to cope with profound mental ill health. At the heart of the campus will be a new site for the pioneering Family School. These new facilities will allow them to increase their ability to help vulnerable children who have been excluded from mainstream education and face a bleak future without the dedicated support.

The projected completion date for the project is early 2019.

A concept model of the centre was on display tonight.

The Duchess attended a reception to hear more about the work of the centre from those who are closely invovled with the charity, including families who have benefitted from the work of the organisation.

“She knew exactly what these mums were talking about — about children not sleeping and how stressful it is to try and bring up small children,” Peter Fonagy, chief executive of the charity, told PEOPLE at the time. “All the mums said how much she talked to them as just another mum.”

At Kensington Palace in 1704, Queen Anne had an elaborate greenhouse built in the style of an elegant palace to protect her citrus trees from the harsh frosts of winter. She also recognised that The Orangery’s beautiful garden setting and graceful architecture made it a perfect venue for fashionable court entertaining away from the hubbub of Whitehall. It was at this time that the notion of dining etiquette evolved. In the late 17th century, nobles suffering from ennui in the royal courts of France devised complex social customs to amuse themselves and gradually they made their way to English high society. As the 18th century rolled on, protocol began to rule every action at the dining table.

When The Orangery was built, meals for the upper classes were still very carnivorous affairs with few vegetables eaten and fruit still viewed with suspicion. It is reported that in 1705 Queen Anne ate a meal consisting entirely of pigeon, sirloin of beef, venison, chyne of mutton, turkey, snipes, ducks and partridge.

Today, Queen Anne's vision continues. The Orangery remains a treasured escape from the city. Approached through tranquil gardens, it retains the grand Corinthian columns, soaring ceilings and sweeping arches that so enchanted the courtiers. It is a highly coveted spot for evening functions with a number of royal events held there each year. For anyone visiting London, it is a stunning place to enjoy Afternoon Tea. Guests are treated to a selection of afternoon tea sandwiches; Egg mayonnaise and cress, smoked salmon and cream cheese, Coronation chicken, roast ham and English mustard sandwich, cucumber and fresh mint. Orange-scented and currant scones served with Cornish clotted cream, English strawberry jam and an assortment of tea pastries. It is served with a range of loose teas or coffee.

The black dress is fitted through the bodice, waist and thigh, and the piece opens to a sweeping fluted hem. The delicate gown, crafted from sheer lace features a v-back and is fitted with a slim band around the waist that flatters the silhouette, making it a perfect choice for the early months of pregnancy.

Kate added the Queen's sparkling diamond pendant earrings to the look. Her Majesty's Jewel Vault reports: "This pair of diamond pendant earrings includes a pendant of separate stones hanging within a diamond frame. These appeared at the 2012 State Opening of Parliament, but have no publicly known provenance as of yet."

Kate also accessorised with a new shimmering bracelet.

The amazing Her Majesty's Jewel Vault revealed it is in fact on loan from the Queen. "The wide diamond bracelet features multiple diamond quatrefoil motifs, the four-lobed design popular in architecture, art, heraldry, and elsewhere. Each quatrefoil outline is filled with five individual diamonds." The provenance of the piece is unknown and it's hardly been worn. Below, we see the Queen wearing it at the 2010 State Opening of Parliament (with thanks to Taunya for her comment alerting us to the blog post from HMJV).

I loved the Zarita gown when Kate wore it in 2014 and thought it a perfect choice for tonight's gala too. It makes sense for Kate to give her best maternity looks another outing. I loved the addition of the Queen's sparkling earrings and the dazzling new bracelet. What do you think of the look? Do you like how Kate styled it tonight?

Tomorrow, The Duchess of Cambridge will attend the Place2Be School Leaders Forum on Mental Health.

106 comments:

Wonderful to see Kate better again and out supporting her charities :) And I have to say that I love the fall gala season!

Great rewear at this stage of the pregnancy. A traditionally elegant dress! She has really upped her "go to" level of bling these recent years! Really like it! That bracelet especially is one of my favourites (and seems hers as well), added with a bonus of deep royal history! What's not to love!

I am also a fan of this dress Rebecca. It was perfect the first time she wore it and is still such a perfect choice for this event.

Interestly, Meghan Markle wore a shorter version of this dress in navy blue if I'm not mistaken. Also, in a recent post, Charlotte had discussed some new dresses which would work well for Kate and amongst them were the silver and red silk gowns from Jenny Packham's AW17 collection, which Angelina Jolie just wore a few days ago. She selected the silver gown and I must it looked amazing!

The competing twitter feeds of Kensington Palace, The Royal Family, and Clarence House is a pet peeve of mine. Wish they would come together like the royal houses of other countries. It is particularly irritating when they are all trying to tweet at the same time, such as this evening.

Andrea. True. It would speak more of a unified front big time. As it is, it insinuates possible factions (the media doesn't need much) within the family just simply by default. It could add to a basic royal gestalt, like casual family photos of the whole family once or twice a year or so. To me, it is amazing those things haven't been done. Contemporary. Basic PR 101. It isn't rocket science. :)

Other royal families don't have three generations of royals out and about performing duties. Tweeting from one account about C&C in Asia and Kate at a gala at the same time is even more confusing than tweeting from the separate accounts

I agree Tedi. She looks beautiful and I like her hair down better than with the hair back like that.

Perhaps the bracelet is a recent gift. I think she would have worn it before now if it had been a wedding gift. Maybe it was a thank you from William for going through the morning sickness three times.

No offense to anyone who likes them but I don't like the earrings much.

Surfer Girl, I think it would be even more flattering to wear this hair style straight, rather than with curls/waves. Maybe she will try that sometime.Plus given the current climate, I think it is wise policy to repeat her pregnancy wardrobe.

It would be fun to see her with a super slick straight style. However with her curly hair to get that sleek look takes just the right cut and typically a lot of time to straighten. She can add some curls to try and "manage" and "control" her natural curls much more easily and quickly than she can straighten. At least that is what my best friend with curly hair tells me and what I have observed. I can get my straight hair styled much more quickly than she can even when we are both going for curls, and it takes her even more time to go for a straight look.

I love this hair. It's exactly like my hair - same length and style :) I think that some curls add some interest to the hair. I don't like very plain straight hair.I love the jewels - the whole shebang.

Rough is a good word Rebecca. I also like that she wears jewelry with history and the size of these is a great compliment to the dress. But yeah, they seem a bit unfinished. Not enough to be a more edgy piece of jewelry, just not as tight and polished as other pieces.

Very nice engagement, an important charity to support, and nice reuse of a dress - I would expect most of her clothes to be repeats during this third pregnancy.

If she wasn't pregnant, I'd find it a little staid for her - i.e. something Julia would wear! But given she's pregnant, it's a very good choice, especially with the poppy. Her hair looks wonderful and the shorter style shows off the back of the gown.

She's been wearing new stuff almost continuously royalfan, for the past 2-3 years. I don't think she recycled anything other than the dalmatian coat from the first to the second pregnancy. I don't know if there are any blogs that keep track of new vs. old wears but I would be interested to see the stats on this.

I sincerely hope Kate wears 90% repeats this pregnancy. She has some fabulous maternity clothes and since I think this is her last pregnancy it’s our only chance to see some of these clothes. She can freshen things up with new accessories –hats, shoes, jewelry, etc. that can be reworn when she’s not pregnant.

It made me giggle seeing yours and Erikas comments back to back like that :P It's funny how different we can see the same thing! I personally hope for alot of repeats because I want to see them again before "it's too late" but maybe some of it can be altered to fit her when not pregnant.

I agree Gemma. I only want to see repeats. First because I just want to see those dresses and second because I think she is a profligate spender and could use some recycling. What is the point of trotting out one dress once. Some of those were beautiful and deserve to be worn again and again.I think that the short hair looks gorgeous on her. She should keep it short, fresh and accessorize profusely. This look is a hit with me.

Sorry:) I love it when she wears new things for high profile events. There are a few outfits from both pregnancies I wouldn't mind seeing again though. From Charlotte's pregnancy, I remember more than a few large non maternity coats that I could do without seeing again however.

Rosman, I agree with you. The shorter hair looks so refreshing and much more energetic, if that makes sense. Kate looks cheerful and healthy and I also hope to see plenty of returning maternity items.

For anyone who may be interested, a few weeks back Catherine Walker debuted the autumn collection at Spencer house and 2 of Kate's coat dresses were prominently featured front and centre, the light blue coat dress with white detail down the front which Kate wore last year and the one she wore on the 2nd day of her visit to Belgium this year. I thought it was a fitting tribute to debut the collection at Diana's former home, given her love of Catherine Walker designs and also to include some designs worn by Kate. A lovely way to marry CW's creative collaboration with 2 of her most famous clients :)

Beautiful event. She looks wonderful and I do love this dress but have to admit I'm disappointed she isn't wearing a new one. I hope she doesn't just rewear the same clothes she wore while pregnant with Charlotte during this pregnancy.

Standard, classic Kate. I imagine we'll see many repeats from her last pregnancy. It makes sense, not only because she's already worn them and feels comfortable in them, but because buying expensive new clothes may not go over so well right now. She looks like she's feeling better and I'm continuing to love the shorter hair on her.

There was also the Dalmatian coat and I’m sure at least one evening gown was a repeat. However, her first two pregnancies were in different seasons, so things might not have fit right for the weather. Her 2nd and 3rd pregnancies are basically at the same time and she can expect similar weather and events.

You're correct about the Dalmatian coat, Gemma. Couldn't find a gown she rewore though. I was wrong about the pink dress. I thought she wore the pink Jenny Packham she wore to the Coronation service again but ahe didn't.

I'm a little under enthused about this look. I don't know if it's the dress itself or the hair with this dress. It looks blah to me. It is great to see Kate out and about this is just not anywhere near great for me.

I agree Charlotte, this dress is perfect in so many ways. Great style, lovely lace and I'm guessing it's super comfortable. The jewelry is spectacular. If that is her own bracelet - perhaps a wedding present - why didn't she wear it previously? Versus wear the Queen's two bracelets for the China State Dinner?

Thank you, Charlotte for including Queene Anne's 1705 dinner menu. She must have been on the Atkin's diet, lol. Amazing that that menu has survived so that we actually have that insight. Being a foodie and loving history, I really appreciated the menu info and the photo of the table setting.

Nice to know she had apparently done an unpublicized meeting a while ago and then prior to the gala.

I really like Kate's look, I think she looks beautiful. She has such a pretty face! And I see extra tenderness in it now that she is expecting. I also noticed a few silvery hairs which I found so nice - so natural. The whole post is extremely interesting - thank you, Charlotte, also for the history of the Orangery and especially for the lovely picture of the set table! (I'm sure my sons would appreciate Queen Anne's selection of meaty meals 😉 )

I also think the bracelet must be new- I think she's long broke out the wedding gifts- especially given all her bracelet wearing opportunities have resulted in similar ones owned by the Queen. Though, I kinda doubt it's from William. Since consensus was her eternity ring was a gift from William after the birth of George- this seems way out of sync with that gift. Definitely nosy and interested to know more!

There is no way we have seen all of her wedding gifts. They had some extremely high profile guests and many foreign royals at the wedding. There is little doubt in my mind that the Saudi royals or the Sultan of Brunei would give jewelry, it’s expected in their culture. I’m also sure the Prince of Monaco and similar European royals wold have given her jewelry, not to mention that I’d expect the British royal family to give her something. For example, we don’t know what the Queen and Prince Phillip gave her.

Just because she hasn’t worn something on a public engagement doesn’t mean she doesn’t have it. There are many private events she can wear jewelry for.

I wouldn't be surprised if we've seen only a fraction of the jewellery that she has received as wedding gifts. As Gemma pointed out, there must be some pretty amazing pieces gifted to her from the Saudis etc. that we haven't seen yet. Kate seems to like to keep things low-key, so I think she is spacing out debuting the more dazzling pieces as the years go along.

I agree, Kiwi Gal. I can understand that not yet being the Princess of Wales or Queen and being a "newbie" to the Royal family that she might not have wanted to stand out too much blingwise. But she has worn some substantial pieces of the Queen's. So why hasn't she worn her wedding gift bling? You think she would wear it as a courtesy to the people who gifted any jewelry to her, yeh? Perhaps people did give to their charities as requested rather than give jewelry.

Yes, you could be right, surfer girl. I guess most guests would have given their gift to charity, but I was kind of hoping she would bring out her own 'blingy' pieces bit by bit down the line. HM's loans seem to fill that need, but I'm wondering about the pieces like the gigantic emeralds we saw in NYC & the ruby floral set she wore with the velvet black McQueen gown, maybe she does have more pieces like these that she hasn't yet debuted.

Ladies, I think she does have more jewelry than we have seen to date. Despite requests for donations to be made to charities in lieu of gifts, I'm sure there were guests who gave both, or perhaps donations don't translate into gifts in some cultures and they stuck with the same old bling. :-) I also agree with KG that, most likely, she is spacing things out. Consider the Queen's jewelry; sometimes decades pass between us getting a look at a particular piece. Granted, HM has quite a collection, but you know what I mean. ;-) And, holding back is in keeping with Kate's conservative nature and not making about what she's wearing. My two cents...

Love the look - the hair, makeup, jewellery. She should absolutely recycle her clothes. n fact, I want her to recycle clothes more often. Why would anyone support wastage? I've never seen her rewear her themed tour clothes. While I understand they might look out of place (which is probably why she doesn't rewear them), the thought of those pretty clothes just lying in her closet makes me so sad. The pink print dress she wore in India. the silk dress she wore on her East Asian tour, the white dress she danced in, in Tuvalu - just so many one-time only clothes. It's not her fault of course - people expect her to wear something new and are disappointed if she rewears clothes even during a pregnancy, so she has to keep buying new stuff. But it's just senseless.

I agree. I think she should recycle more often, too. There are so many outfits I'd like to see again. I must admit, I get a rush when I see her in something new, but it seems she has accumulated a plethora of new items that we haven't seen again. It does appear to be wasteful.

I agree. I have been keeping mental tabs and I think that over the past two years she has barely recycled . I think that this year she has recycled less than 7-8 times. Which would mean she had new outfits around 40 times already. And the items she recycles once she recycles over and over again. Like those blasted blue two piece suit like thingys - (as a regular suit wearer I would hesitate to call them suits). Yet she has mounds of clothes she has worn once and left it at that. All the tour stuff just sits there. It's just too much. What is the point of this spending?I also love to see her in new things. But at this point I've had enough and would like to see old stuff styled creatively. New hair, accessories.

Question...in this type of situation does a car drive her over to the Orangery? Or since it is on the grounds of her home does she walk? Seems weird to drive for literally 30 seconds, but then again I can't picture her just walking over there!

I would be surprised if she walked given that Apartment 1A is the farthest from the Orangery. And security alone would warrant having a vehicle on standby since the Orangery is not within the secure grounds of KP. IMO.

The Duchess is glowing and radiant, love everything about tonights look, especially lovethe fabulous bracelet, just a small point think the earrings might look better with an updo,but so wonderful to see her in good health and looking so happy.

The duchess look elegant again i remember she wear that in her second pregnancy. Its quite lovely ans traditionally wearing i love too see her re wear the outfit there so many outfit that really great in her second pregnancy r really lovely glad she support these her charity.

Kate looks lovely, but I always hope for a new dress! At this point of her pregnancy I would not call these clothes part of her maternity wardrobe. I do hope she brings out some new clothes for the tour to Norway and Sweden!! Whoever made the comment about her pregnancy being about the same season this time as with Charlotte's pregnancy had a good point about her being able to wear more of the outfits she wore when pregnant with Charlotte this time around. Looking back at the clothes she wore during Charlotte's pregnancy I don't see profligrate spending. (I do notice that commenters seem to comment more harshly on Kate than any other royal I read about.) I remember people saying during her last pregnancy that they wished she would get more maternity style outfits instead of just a size bigger. I really think she can't win because you are never going to please everybody. I understand she should repeat outfits at times and I think she does repeat regularly.

Thank you Taunya and Charlotte for the id of the bracelet. I agree with you surfergirl that this bracelet is way too pretty to be locked up in a vault. Makes me think Kate has a very discerning eye when it comes to choosing jewelry from the vault! cc

This gown was a great choice at this point in her pregnancy. But I will differ from some opinions here and say that I prefer an updo because it allows us to see the lace detail around the neck and the cut in the back.

The Duchess looks lovely. I like it when she wears beautiful clothing more than once! Somehow I don't think the bracelet is any of those that have been suggested, and I am not sure it's this one, either, though I do think it is probably the Queen's.

http://members2.boardhost.com/royal-jewels/msg/1510091920.html

Julia, I left another message for you, two posts back, about the investment question. I had been wondering about the Duchy of Cornwall. We are moving along so quickly that it's hard to continue a conversation. But it's great to see Kate out and about and looking so healthy, so I can't complain. :-)

I'm sorry, I think Kate's hair and bracelet are lovely, but I will scream if I see her wear yet another lace evening gown. It's obviously a look that she loves but I don't really find it an appealing look.

I'm a huge follower of Duchess Kate, and thinks she is a stunning example of grace and style. But please, I think it is high time she invests in a new hairdresser. Kate's hair is far too beautiful to be downplayed like it has been for some time now. Her hairdos of late, does absolutely nothing for Kate, except making her look old, tired and dragged down, especially if her hair is styled a middle parting, as it is almost always these days.

This must be the most flattering dress ever designed. I absolutely adore it and I hope we will see it lots of times over the years. While I prefer it with an updo, it is a good policy to change hair and/or jewelry when you recycle so I don’t mind the do. I would love her to pair the dress with some coloured jewelry, maybe rubies or aquas or even emeralds.

FINALLY! God bless Meghan Markle or whoever it was who has lit a fire underneath Kate and throttled back the 80something, yawnfest looks she was putting together! I love this dress but the way it's been styled in the past has been more reminiscent of Queen Mary than a young, aristocratic 30-something woman!And double blessings on the head of her new hairdresser, who has lightened her hair, put some youthful waves in it, cut that heaviness out of it and thinned it a bit! And good on them for getting her to tuck the hair behind her ear so those stunning earrings show! Those too are a younger look for her. Let's face it, Granny has nice chips but many of those chips were worn 70, 80, 150 years ago. Not exactly contemporary pieces that do any justice to a modern wearer. But this is a great look and hopefully, with some inspiration from Meghan, we'll see Kate in many more of these age appropriate looks and stylings. And hopefully again, with the guidance and inspiration from her new assistant, Kate will step up her engagements.

Lol I enjoyed your comments Elizabeth. You make me giggle on this very grey cold morning in Massachusetts. I really like this pair of earrings on Kate too but couldn't figure out why until I read what you wrote. Yes, they have a more youthful design than others from "the vault"and they suit her well.

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21 March - The Duchess of Cambridge will convene a symposium on the importance of early intervention to provide solid social and emotional platforms for children in their early years, helping them to become healthier and more resilient later in life.

22 March - The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will undertake engagements celebrating the Commonwealth. They will meet athletes supported by SportsAid, some of whom aim to compete in the 2022 Commonwealth Games, and help to prepare a Commonwealth Big Lunch at St Luke's Trust.

19 May - The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at St George's Chapel, Windsor.

12 October - The wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank at Windsor.